Senior AI-Native Software Engineering Researcher

Carnegie-Mellon-University; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Carnegie Mellon University seeks an AI-Native Software Engineering Researcher to explore applying AI to large-scale software engineering challenges in industry and government settings. You will publish results, mentor junior researchers, and help shape the strategy for AI-native software practices while collaborating with elite teams across academia and government.

The role requires a PhD with at least five years of relevant experience, willingness to travel up to 25%, and the ability to obtain

Qualifications

• PhD with at least five years of relevant experience.
• Proven ability to conduct research and apply scientific methods to software engineering problems.
• Strong written and verbal communication, and ability to convey complex ideas clearly.
• Experience publishing in top-tier venues and collaborating with sponsors.

Responsibilities

• Conduct research on applying AI to industry and government-scale software engineering problems.
• Disseminate results to engineering teams and the broader community.
• Shape AI-native software engineering strategy through exploration of challenges and opportunities.
• Mentor junior team members and collaborate with sponsors and leadership on strategic planning.

Skills

Software engineering fundamentals

Strong written and verbal comms

Collaboration skills

Mentoring

Proposal writing

Education

PhD in a related field

Job description

The future of software engineering is AI-native. Our team works to shape that future through pioneering research, practical engineering methods, and close collaboration with government, industry, and academia.At the AI-Native Software Engineering Directorate, we focus on how today's engineering teams can quickly exploit emerging technologies and harness AI capabilities to create and evolve software quickly without losing fundamental software qualities.To address this new world, we :study and guide industry and government teams’ use of AI in software engineeringdistill best practices and lessons from experiments and experience to shape AI-native software engineeringpilot and transition improvements with organizations and measure their successcreate novel agents and agentic workflows to support software engineeringapply AI to accelerate architecture-scale modernizationhelp organizations establish AI-native software engineering practicesguide organizations in evolving their software with architecture and AI-native approachesOur overarching goal is to create new workflows and tools that enable AI-paced delivery of software without loss of quality. We're seeking candidates with a demonstrated track record who are motivated to shape AI-native software engineering.AI-Native Software Engineering ResearcherAs an AI-Native Software Engineering Researcher, you will focus on conducting research in application of AI to industry and government scale software engineering problems, applying your research in government and industry settings, and disseminating results to engineering teams and the broader research and software engineering community. You will help shape our AI-Native Software Engineering strategy through exploration of challenges such as:assessing the rapidly changing capabilities of AI models and coding agentsestablishing metrics that help organizations understand their use of AI in development and guiding them through improvementsidentifying gaps in AI workflows that result in unnecessarily poor outcomes (e.g., excessive technical debt, bad architecture decisions, or frequent rework loops)creating novel agents or agentic workflowscreating or adapting practices and workflows to embed software engineering disciplinestudying the cost implications of AI and developing strategies for more efficient use of AI (e.g., context management, token management, and balancing use of AI with non-AI approaches)You will have the opportunity to work with world class software engineers, researchers, and data scientists working on national and global scale problems.Knowledge, Skills and AbilitiesComprehensive knowledge of software engineering fundamentalsAbility to keep up with and adapt to rapidly changing technical advancesA track record of conducting research and applying scientific methods to solve difficult problemsStrong written and verbal communication skills; ability to convey complex technical ideas in a layperson’s termsDemonstrated track record publishing in top tier peer-reviewed venuesStrong collaboration skills for working with colleagues and sponsorsProficiency in writing funding proposals or pitching ideas for new research projectsWillingness and ability to guide and mentor junior team membersRequirementsA PhD with at least five (5) years of relevant experience.You will be subject to a background investigation and you must be able to obtain and maintain a Department of War security clearance.Willing to travel up to 25% of the time to locations outside of your home location. Travel sites include SEI offices in Washington, D.C., sponsor sites, and conferences.Desired ExperienceExperience leading research projects in novel areasSuccessful application of AI to improve research or software engineering progressExperience working with software engineering teams on large industry or government projectsExperience working with leadership to plan, develop, and deliver an overall technical strategyLocationPittsburgh, PAJob FunctionSoftware/Applications Development/EngineeringPosition TypeStaff – RegularFull time/Part timeFull timePay BasisSalary